Injection device with rotatable dose setting

Abstract

An injection device comprising a housing and a dose setting mechanism including a dose setting element. Contrary to prior art injection devices, the dose setting element can only be set at a few different dose settings. This is established by forming the dose setting element as a rotatable dish concealed within the housing and having a number of projections projecting outside the boundaries of the housing through a slot in the housing. A dose is set by activating a projection which in addition provides the user with a tactile guidance. Usually one projection is provided for one dose setting limiting the number of doses to be set to the number of projections.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A system of injection devices, comprising:
 a plurality of substantially identical injection devices, 
 each individual injection device comprising a housing accommodating an ampoule containing medicine sufficient for a number of injections and a dose setting mechanism including a dose setting element with at least one projection by which a predetermined dose size can be selected, 
 wherein each of the plurality of injection devices has a different dose size, and 
 wherein the predetermined dose size may be selected by rotating the dose setting element mechanism relative to the housing, wherein the dose setting element is substantially located within the boundaries of the housing and reachable through an opening in the housing such that only one full projection is accessible outside the boundaries of the housing at a time. 
 
     
     
       2. A system of injection devices according to  claim 1 , wherein the medicine contained in the ampoule is a fluid pharmaceutical formulation comprising a GLP-1 compound. 
     
     
       3. A system of injection devices according to  claim 2 , wherein the GLP-1 compound comprises a lipophilic substituent which is attached, optionally via a spacer, to the epsilon amino group of a lysine residue. 
     
     
       4. A system of injection devices according to  claim 3 , wherein the lipophilic substituent has from 8 to 40 carbon atoms. 
     
     
       5. A system of injection devices according to  claim 4 , wherein the lipophilic substituent has from 12 to 24 carbon atoms. 
     
     
       6. A system of injection devices according to  claim 4 , wherein the lipophilic substituent has from 14 to 18 carbon atoms. 
     
     
       7. A system of injection devices according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of devices comprises up to five injection devices. 
     
     
       8. A system of injection devices according to  claim 1 , wherein each different predetermined dose size is volumetric determined. 
     
     
       9. A system of injection devices according to  claim 1 , wherein each different predetermined dose size is concentrational determined. 
     
     
       10. A system of injection devices according to  claim 1 , wherein the medicine contained in the ampoule is a fluid GLP-1 compound or a fluid GLP-2 compound. 
     
     
       11. A system of injection devices according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the projection extending outside the boundaries of the housing through the opening such that the dose setting element can be rotated by moving the exposed projection. 
 
     
     
       12. A system of injection devices according to  claim 1 , wherein the rotational axis of the dose setting mechanism is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ampoule. 
     
     
       13. A system of injection devices according to  claim 1 , wherein the distance between two successive projections of the dose setting mechanism equals the setting of one dose unit. 
     
     
       14. A method of using an injection device according to  claim 1  for the administration of a fluid pharmaceutical formulation comprising a GLP-1 compound or a GLP-2 compound to a patient, said method comprising:
 selecting the injection device from the plurality of injection devices having the predetermined dose size which accommodates the individual patient, 
 connecting a pen needle to the selected injection device, 
 selecting the predetermined dose size, 
 inserting the pen needle into the patient and injecting the predetermined dose of the fluid pharmaceutical formulation comprising a GLP-1 or a GLP-2 compound, and 
 removing the pen needle from the patient after completing the injection of the predetermined dose size.